


What Fall Brings

by dkmcb01



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Love, Nightmares, daily life, newly established SLIBBS
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-11-28 09:51:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20964569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dkmcb01/pseuds/dkmcb01
Summary: Sequel to "Summer Vacation" ;  This story picks up after the 3 days Jethro mentioned to Tobias at the end of "Summer Vacation".





	1. Chapter 1

Flight Attendant: “Ladies and Gentlemen thank you for flying American Airlines and welcome to D.C. and Washington Dulles International Airport.” 

***

Jack grabbed Jethro’s hand. He turned to her and smiled, raising her hand up to his lips. He placed a gentle kiss and asked,

“Are you okay? You look nervous.” 

Jack took a deep breath and returned her lover’s smile. She _ was  _ nervous. They had just left a vacation paradise of their own making and now this was the real world. She was nervous, a bit scared and excited.

“I am nervous and scared and excited all at the same time. Which of your agents did you say is picking us up? Do you think they will like me? I mean, I guess it doesn’t matter or shouldn’t matter but I care what they think about me.” Jack replied.

“Tobias Fornell is picking us up. He’s ex-FBI, now working as a security consultant. He has become a good friend in the last few years. He knows our story. I told him one night over a bottle of cheap whiskey. He’s certain you are ‘H.O.T.’ - his words not mine. Although I do think you are HOT. He also told me to not screw this up.”

Jack nodded and blushed at the reference to her “hotness”. She took another deep breath and relaxed under Jethro’s hand. He had started drawing soft and slow circles on the back of her hand. He knew that would relax her, if she let it.

***

Soon, Jack and Jethro exited the plane and made their way to the cab stand where Tobias should be waiting. 

Tobias saw Jethro and jumped out of his car waving like a mad man,

“Hurry up you two love birds! I am double parked!”

They hurried over and jumped in the backseat as Tobias sped off. 

“Tobias, thanks for picking us up. This is Jack. Jacqueline Sloane.” Jethro said.

“You are too good for him you know. I am glad he didn’t screw this up but you are really too good for him.” Tobias responded from the front seat.

“Nice to meet you Tobias. Thank you for picking us up. We’ve had quite the adventure. I hope we didn’t put you out.” Jack said.

“Not at all. I owed him a favor anyway - now I’m paid up. Besides, Jethro is my best friend. I got his back. Why don’t you get some shut eye back there - you both look tired...like you got a lot of “exercise” - we have at least a 45 minute drive with this traffic” Tobias replied.

Jethro reached forward and patted his friend on the shoulder. He really did appreciate Tobias more than he let on. He knew he would have to get better at showing his friends how much they meant to him. He wrapped his arm around Jack’s shoulder and pulled her close. They both sunk a bit deeper into the leather seat and soon fell asleep.

***

“OK you two wake-up...and don’t be angry. It’s not my fault. I couldn’t stop them.” Tobias said as he pulled into Jethro’s driveway.

Jethro looked out the window and saw his living room light on and several cars he recognized in his driveway. There standing in his front window were his three agents. He wondered, briefly, if Palmer and Kasie were in there too. Jethro sighed and shook his head at Tobias. 

“It’s your own fault...you asked me to get most of your team together to go buy you new furniture and a fancy coffee maker before you got back...they  _ are  _ agents...it’s their job to figure things out.” Tobias shrugged and got out of the car.

Jack turned to Jethro,

“New furniture? You bought new furniture for me?

“I bought a new couch, new bed and a fancy coffee maker for  _ us.  _ Trust me there was no way you would have let me keep the couch and bed - they were really beaten down and the coffee maker was on its last legs. I wanted you to be comfortable here, at least, until your furniture arrives. Then you can put your stuff wherever you want.” Jethro replied.

Jack smiled and hugged Jethro tight. They had not really discussed where they were going to live or what their decorating styles were. They would figure it out as they went along.

Jethro got out of the car and extended a hand to Jack, who took it and climbed out. They walked hand in hand up the walkway to his front door. He winked at her and opened the door.

***

They were all there, his team and all the people at NCIS he considered his friends and his family. Jimmy ran in from the kitchen holding two beer bottles which he handed to Jethro and Jack. Jethro introduced Jack to everyone and they all sat down to relax in the living room. Jethro was inspecting the couch, even bouncing up and down a bit to test it.

“What do you think? It’s a pretty cushy couch huh?” Nick asked.

“Nick laid down on every couch in the showroom at least twice.” Tim spoke up as he walked over and sat down. 

“Hey, I know how Gibbs likes to sleep on the couch and I thought he would appreciate a sturdy couch that can take some of the...what?!?” Nick winced as Tim elbowed him in the rib cage.

“Thanks for the attention to detail, Nick. It seems like a good choice. I let you know more...later.” Gibbs laughed.

“See, I told you!” Nick exclaimed in triumph.

Jethro leaned over and whispered in Jack’s ear,

“I think Nick made a good choice but I would like a second opinion.”

“I’m ready when you are, Cowboy.” she whispered back.

***

Tobias came over and tapped Jethro on the shoulder. 

“Before you both need to ‘get a room’ let’s go look at your truck.”

Jethro glared at his friend, he was perfectly content to sit on the new couch with Jack . Jack nudged him in the ribs to get him moving. She had a feeling Ellie Bishop wanted to talk to her but was hesitant with Jethro sitting beside her. Jethro got up and went outside with Tobias and Nick. McGee, Palmer and Kasie were in the kitchen discussing the merits of IPAs vs Lagers. Jack looked over and nodded to Ellie. 

Ellie walked over and sat down beside her. Ellie had always felt protective of Gibbs, as a daughter does with a father. Gibbs had been a sort of father-figure for her since before her divorce to Jake. Since he chased her down in Oklahoma. Gibbs was family, as far as Ellie was concerned. She knew she was acting like her brothers but she really couldn’t help herself. She was protective of Gibbs. She wanted to know what Jack’s “intentions” were.

“I know this sounds overly protective and I am not saying Gibbs needs protection but what - exactly - are your intentions?” Ellie asked almost sternly.

Jack knew Jethro to be a loyal man, a man who would do anything for his team. He had always been that way. She knew he would be equally loyal to his current team. She was not surprised by one of his agents asking this type of question. She knew she could only tell Ellie the truth.

“I am in love Jethro. I always have been. When I pushed him away 10 years ago - well...it was the biggest mistake of my life. I hope, eventually, we will get married. But in the meantime, I want to have a relationship with him...get to know him again.” Jack replied.

Ellie nodded and took a deep breath. 

“Okay. Don’t hurt him. He’s had enough of that for one lifetime.”

“I won’t, I promise… as much as I like this beer … is there any wine?” Jack asked

“Oh thank god you’re a wine drinker too! Come on I think Palmer brough the wine.” Ellie replied.

Jack and Ellie headed for the kitchen and the wine. Palmer insisted on opening the wine himself and letting it “breathe”. The four of them stood in the kitchen making small talk and getting to know Jack.

***

Outside, Jethro walked over and opened the hood to his truck. The hood creaked open as old trucks tend to do. He stepped up onto the bumper to get a good look. 

“Tobias, can you get me a flashlight? You know where they are.”

Tobias headed to the basement door while Nick moved closer to the truck.

“Where were you headed when you threw a rod through the engine block?” Nick asked.

“We were headed to Roswell, NM. We were going to drive back across the country.” Gibbs replied.

“Roswell? To search for aliens?? You don’t seem like a Roswell type of guy.” Nick said.

“I’m not - normally. But Jack wanted to go and I wanted to see her smile. Nick, you’ll see one day. You’ll have a woman in your life that you’ll want to conquer the world for. Don’t waste good, Nick. I am getting a second chance with Jack.” Gibbs replied.

Nick knew, exactly, what Gibbs was talking about. He looked toward the living room where Ellie had been standing just a few minutes ago. He took a long drink of his beer as Tobias came back with the flashlight. Jethro took the flashlight,

“OK let’s see what we’ve got.”

They all peered into the engine compartment. Nick, knowing he didn’t really know what he was looking at, asked

“Can you fix this yourself”

Jethro nodded and shrugged at the same time,

“It needs a new engine. I can put a new one in myself but I could use some help.”

Tobias replied first,

“I’ll help and so will Nick...maybe he will learn a thing or two. McGee and Palmer could use some hands-on training also. It could be like a group project. A bonding moment. Oh maybe we should invite the ladies also - being equal and all. How many people is that...let me see...8 people including you, Jethro. That’s enough help right?”

Jethro looked at his friend curiously - 8 people to fix one truck. He wasn’t sure why Tobias wanted everyone to help but he _ did _ enjoy having his friends, his family around.

“Okay. Once maybe twice a week - depending on caseload and everyone’s schedules - we meet here to work on the truck. Tobias you are in charge of food and beer - you don’t have to buy it all - don’t panic - just arrange it, get the others to chip in.”

With that, Jethro closed the hood and turned to walk back inside. 

“First things first - I need to order a new engine.” 

***

Back inside, they found the others in the kitchen talking about wine and listening to Kasie tell a story about chemistry and how she almost blew up a lab in grad school. Nick relayed the information about the weekly “truck repair parties”. Kasie got excited and wanted to get everyone matching t-shirts with “Gibbs’ Garage” on them. 

Gibbs rolled his eyes and looked over at Jack who was standing next to Ellie. Jack nodded slightly at the question in Jethro’s eyes. He knew Ellie would want to talk to Jack. Ellie grew up surrounded by protective brothers - she learned early to be protective of those she loved. Jethro put his hand out toward Jack. She walked across to him as there was a collective “awwww” from the group.

“Are we all just going to have to get used to the sweet side of Leroy Jethro Gibbs?” Tobias asked smirking.

Jethro pulled Jack closer putting his arm around her waist and kissing her cheek,

“Yeah, you are.” Jethro replied with a smile.

***

The party broke up not long after. Jethro and Jack relaxed on their new couch. The throw pillows Ellie had picked out under their heads. 

“I’ll have to thank Nick when I see him. This is a pretty great couch.”

Jethro said.

“I agree...this is a great couch.” Jack responded snuggling closer to him.

“Thank you so much...for giving me another chance, for giving us another chance.” he whispered into her hair and he held her close.

“Thank you for answering the phone when I called.” she replied leaning up and placing a kiss on his cheek.

“You want to stay here or go upstairs?” he asked.

“Too tired to move...stay here.” she replied quietly as she fell asleep.

To Be Continued...

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Jack woke the next morning to the smell of coffee. She stretched and realized she was still in yesterday’s clothes _and_ still on the couch. The so very comfortable couch. She reminded herself to thank Nick Torres the next time she saw him. She sat up and looked toward the kitchen. Jethro was leaning against the counter drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. She smiled and climbed off the couch. She stretched again and padded into the kitchen. He pulled a mug out of the cabinet and poured her coffee.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he said as he handed her to mug.

“Good morning to you,” she replied with a smile.

“How did you sleep?” he asked as he pushed her hair out of her face.

“Like a rock. Did I even move? What time did you wake up?” she replied setting her mug on the counter and wrapping her arms around his waist. 

“Just a few minutes before you did. What do you want to do today? You ok?” Jethro asked holding her close.

Jack was quiet for a minute or so. She felt so safe in his arms but all this change was getting to her a bit. She pulled away so she could look at him.

“Now that I am here and a bit of my stuff is there - I am feeling overwhelmed. I need to find movers, get a hold of my friend Nicole to let the packers in - she has my extra key, and then find someone to clean the apartment because I would really like my deposit back and …” Jack replied, waving her arms around frantically as she listed the things to be done.

Jethro pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her and reassured her, 

“We’ll figure this out together. One step at a time. Let’s make a list so we don’t forget anything. Would you feel better if we went there to pack everything up ourselves?”

Jack took his hand and led him to the dining room table to sit down. Jethro pulled his chair up close to her, his knees on either side of her legs. He held her hand and waited patiently. One of Jack’s favorite things about Jethro was that he didn’t feel the need to fill up the silence. He allowed the time to pass quietly while she thought about his question.

Part of her wanted to say “yes” - that it would be easier to go back and pack everything themselves but really she didn’t want to leave...not him, not this home, not now. And she really, really hated packing and moving. Even at it’s best - packing and moving sucked. Jack decided, 

“I’ll call Nicole and ask her to help me out. She sort of owes me one anyway - long story that I will tell you another time. Like you said, one thing at a time. First, we need showers - I can’t believe I slept in my clothes.”

“We both did - we must have been really tired. I’ll do everything I can to make this transition as easy for you as possible. You want me to look for a moving company for your stuff? What do you need?” Jethro replied.

Jack stood up and took Jethro’s hand. 

“First,  _ we  _ get a shower and then food. Then we can figure out the rest.” Jack smiled as she pulled Jethro upstairs.

***

He followed the trail of her clothing into the master bathroom. God, she was gorgeous. He couldn’t help but shake his head. The love of his life was here in his master bathroom, now _ their  _ master bathroom. He shed his own clothing quickly and walked up to her. She leaned over to turn on the faucet. 

“It will take a minute to heat up.” he murmured in her hair. She leaned back into him, her hands in his hair. Jethro sighed and place a kiss just behind her ear, the spot he knew would arouse her. She gave a sigh of her own and moved towards the shower.

***

They stood under the hot water and held onto each other. There was something primal about the way he held her to him, his hands gripped her arms just above her elbows. She stood on her tip-toes as he brought his head down to kiss her. They stood under the pounding pressure of the showerhead, their hearing obscured by the water around them. Jack could feel Jethro’s heart pounding against her chest. She was sure he was feeling the same thing, her heart pounding in time to his. He deepened the kiss, one hand running through her wet hair, the other on her ass. She, in turn, grabbed him by the waist and pulled him into her, feeling his erection grow as their kiss continued. He groaned as he felt the tip of his cock brush against her. He reached down with both hands under her ass and picked her up - pushing her against the cold shower tile.

She wrapped her legs around his waist as he touched her center, checking her wetness.

She leaned into his hand as he sighed, their lips close together.

Jack whispered,

“This is either going to be mind-blowing sex or we are going to slip and die in here and Jimmy will have to come get our dead bodies.’

“I say we take our chances,” he growled his need for her growing stronger.

Jack responded by kissing him hard and long. She was practically dripping when she demanded,

“Fuck me, Jethro. Now”

Jethro guided his cock to the center of her wetness. He touched her clit with the head and felt her shudder against him. He hesitated for a second and pushed into her. He held still allowing her to adjust to his size. Once she was ready, she let him know by moving against him. He held her tight against the shower tile, the hot water raining down and pounded into her as she had requested. He didn’t think either of them would last very long at this pace. Holding her up with one arm, he reached between them - finding her clit - he rubbed his thumb in circles until she came apart around him. She shuddered and convulsed around his cock. His senses shut down, all he could feel was her tightening around him. With a final thrust, he came inside her. She held him close, his breath ragged and his heart pounding. Once he was soft, he pulled out of her and put her gently on the shower floor. 

“Did I hurt you?” he asked as he ran his fingers across her cheek.

“No, not at all,” she replied turning her head to kiss his palm.

Jack leaned over and turned up the hot water and they finished their shower.

***

Once out of the shower, they both dressed quickly. Their morning activities had left them famished. Jack was dressed casually in jeans and a white t-shirt. Jethro threw on a pair of jeans and a gray t-shirt. He dug around in his carry-on back for his old ball cap. 

She laughed as he put it on. 

“Maybe we could get you a new hat?” she smiled and kissed him on the cheek

“What? I just got it broke in.” he protested.

Jethro reached for his keys and remembered his truck was inoperable. His stomach growled in protest. Jack reached for his hand,

“Why don’t we call a cab - go eat and then go find a rental car?”

“I love you,” he replied as he nodded

Jethro pulled out his cellphone and called a cab. 10 minutes later they were on the way to his favorite diner. Jack leaned into him in the backseat of the cab, enjoying their closeness.

“Where are we going for breakfast?” Jack asked

“My favorite diner. You’re going to love the coffee. The food is good too.”

A few minutes later, they were seated in the diner looking at menus. Well, Jack was looking at the menu. The waitress brought two large mugs of coffee over. 

“What can I get you? Do you have any questions about the menu?” the waitress asked.  
“No questions, can I get the French toast with a side of bacon? Oh and more sugar for the table?” Jack replied. 

Jack saw the almost grimace on Jethro’s face at the thought of how much sugar she put in her coffee. She shrugged as he ordered his “usual” of two eggs over easy with bacon and toast. While waiting for their orders, Jethro asked,

“Can you find the nearest rental car place? I can’t remember if there’s one around here.”

Jack took out her smartphone and looked for rental car places. She found the nearest one as their breakfast arrived.

“This looks amazing!” she exclaimed as she shoved a large piece of French toast in her mouth. Jethro chuckled at her exuberance. 

They ate quickly and in silence - both very hungry. Jethro left money on the table as the waitress brought them coffee to go. Soon a cab was taking them to the rental car place.

***

“You want something fun? A convertible? Or a Jeep? Should we get 2 rentals? I don’t want you to feel you are trapped without transportation. What do you drive in California?” Jethro asked Jack as they waited in line at the Hertz desk. 

Jack had not even thought about getting a rental car for herself. She loved how he did think of it. 

“I drive a Mini Coup in California but… a Jeep could be fun… I guess it depends on what they have available.” she replied.

15 minutes later, they walked out to the parking lot to find their rental cars. A Jeep Wrangler for Jack and a Ford Mustang for Jethro. Jack followed Jethro back to the house.

“How did it drive?” he asked nodding at the Jeep as he got out of the Mustang.

“So fun. We will have to take it out for a spin with the top down before it gets cold...wait...when does it get cold here? I am not prepared for the cold.” she replied.

“We have a bit of time before it gets too cold. I have a lot of hoodies you can wear if you get cold in the meantime,” he said as he opened the front door.

***

Jethro made his way into the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee. As he did, Jack ran upstairs to get her laptop. She came back downstairs, placing her laptop on the dining table. Meeting Jethro in the kitchen, she asked

“You don’t have an internet connection here do you?”

“Never needed one before.” he shrugged as he poured her a cup of coffee and handed her the sugar bowl.

“We will have to remedy that. I’ll hotspot off my phone in the meantime,” she replied dumping quite a bit of sugar in her cup.

“Hotspot? I have no idea what that means but okay. I will check with the neighbors - they know what internet company to use. Do you want cable TV? Or Netflix?” he asked her leaning against the counter.

Jack raised an eyebrow and then smirked at him,

“You know what Netflix is?”

“I do read the newspaper. It has current information in it.” he laughed. “I even read more than the front page. There’s the sports section and then entertainment.”

“Of course you do, I apologize. Netflix then with a lot of bandwidth for movies. I have a smart TV in Cali - we can hook it up when it arrives - I will show you the modern marvel of flatscreen TVs.” she replied.

“Do they have sports channels on Netflix?” he asked.

Jack did a quick search on her phone. 

“Hulu TV has live sporting events...we can get that one,” she reassured him.

***

They left the kitchen and went and sat on the couch Nick picked out. It was still a great couch. Jack put her cup on the coffee table and leaned back against Jethro. He wrapped his arm around her and they just sat with each other. She loved the way she seemed to fit into him. Jack leaned her head back and she was soon asleep. Jethro placed a gentle kiss in her hair and smiled. Just being with her - he felt more content than he had in a long time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Be Continued


	3. Nightmares

Gibbs opened his eyes, gasping for air. He could taste the acrid metallic flavor of blood on his lips. 

This was his first hint that something had gone at least partially wrong. 

He stayed still and did a once over - checking to see if anything was especially painful. His legs and feet seemed alright. Difficulty breathing probably meant a broken rib or two. He flexed his fingers and hands. One was working the other was broken. 

He opened his eyes and his vision seemed good - except on his left eye - there was either blood in his eye or something else obscuring his vision. He shook his head a bit to clear his vision. He was laying on his back - that much he could tell...looking up at … he wasn’t sure what he was looking at. 

His ears were ringing...something loud had happened. But what, he couldn’t remember. He looked around him again...there was a wall behind him. He pushed his feet against the hard floor - trying to push himself to the wall to sit up. His ribs really hurt but he kept going...kept trying to figure out where he was and what had happened. 

As he finally pushed himself up against the wall - he looked down at his hand...it was broken  _ and _ bleeding. He peered down at his ribcage...he noticed blood flowing pretty easily from a wound. He dug around in his pocket and found a dirty rag he used for staining his boat - it wasn’t sanitary but it would have to do. With his good hand, he pushed the rag into the hole he found between the two broken ribs. He sat back against the cold wall trying to calm his breathing. 

Trying to remember...the rag meant he was in the basement...but what was the loud noise that had his ears ringing? He tried to wipe the blood out of his eye while he tried to remember...explosion...there must have been an explosion… 

He laid his head on the wall behind him. He closed his eyes, he was so tired. He jerked them open a few seconds later - he couldn’t go to sleep. He was hurt pretty bad. AND Jack was going to kill him if he didn’t bleed out in the basement. 

And then he remembered - he had been trying to repair the oil furnace before the first cold snap. He looked around for his cell phone and remembered he had put it in his back pocket. He figured the explosion threw him about 15 feet...did the phone even work anymore? With pain and curse words he fished it out of his back pocket and flipped it open. Of course, it still worked, he smirked through the pain. 

He took a shallow breath and dialed Jack.

***

“Hey, you. Did you get the furnace repaired?” Jack asked casually as she answered Jethro’s call.

Jack didn’t hear anything on the other end. She glanced at her phone - checking to see how many bars she had on her signal.

“Hey, you there? Can you hear me now?” she asked him.

She heard him cough on the other end of the line. A wet cough.

She stood up and grabbed her laptop, heading for the coffee shop door

“Cowboy!! Where are you?!?”

“In the basement...Jack…” Jethro replied, his voice growing quiet.

“I’m on the way! Hang on! Don’t hang up!!” Jack yelled into the phone.

***

Gibbs was downstairs getting a bottle of cold water out of the fridge when he heard Jack yelling from the master bedroom. He sprinted out of the kitchen and up the stairs. He ran into the bedroom ready to do battle with whatever was hurting her. 

But she was having a nightmare. 

She was covered in sweat, her blond curls plastered to her face. 

She had stopped yelling but was still asleep and still living in the nightmare.

He knelt by the bed and leaned over gently - close to her ear but not touching her. He feared she would panic if she felt someone’s touch. So, he did the only thing he could think of,

“I’m here. I love you. You're safe.” he whispered over and over again.

***

Jack screeched to a halt in the driveway and ran into the house. She flew down the stairs, the tears already pouring from her eyes. 

She found Jethro, leaning against the wall of the basement. He was covered in blood and his eyes were closed. 

She knelt down next to him trying to decide which wound was bleeding the most,

“Jethro stay with me! Open your eyes! Please open your eyes! I love you don’t leave me!!”

“Jack…” he whispered as he coughed up blood.

“Don’t talk, paramedics are on the way…” she said as she wiped the blood from his mouth and chin.

“I’m... sorry... Jack...I love...you...sorry” he whispered as he closed his eyes.

“NO No NO No NO NO! Jethro!

***

Somewhere deep in the nightmare, as she sat on the basement floor crying and holding Jethro in her lap as he died - between sobs she thought she heard a voice. His voice...but...he was…

***

Gibbs was getting worried. It seemed like he had been whispering to Jack to pull her out of her nightmare for too long  _ and _ she had started crying. 

He kept talking to her as he climbed onto the bed. 

“I’m here. I love you. You’re safe.”

He reached out moving her sweat-damp curls away from her face. He continued running his fingers through her hair. 

Suddenly, she gasped and sat up. Looking around, she saw Jethro and started sobbing harder. 

He wrapped her in his arms and held her while she cried.

***

Jack started to explain through the sobs but he just held her tight. He was alive. It was just a nightmare. A horrible, horrible nightmare.

“Are you okay?” he asked her gently after she had quieted against his chest.

“...a nightmare...you died...in the basement…” she replied quietly.

“I’m here. I’m right here. I’m so sorry.” he said as he kissed her gently. 

***

Gibbs laid awake the rest of the night … listening to Jack breathe as he held her. 

It had been six weeks since he had returned to work, seven weeks since Jack had moved in and made his life complete. 

Her nightmares hadn’t started right away...she didn’t have any until the Murphy case. The case had kept the team busy for a couple of weeks. He had barely spent any time at home - only to shower and sleep a couple of hours here and there. Jack handled the abrupt schedule change with ease. 

She was deep in her book and determined to make her deadlines. About halfway into the case, he came home late one night, his clothes bloody and a gash on his forehead. He had jumped off the top of a cargo container, tackling the suspect to prevent him from escaping. As they fought, he had taken an elbow to the head. 

He had walked into the house saying, 

“It’s worse than it looks, Palmer already checked me out.”

Jack had looked up from her laptop and he could see the panic in her eyes. She went over to him,

“Are you okay? He didn’t give you stitches?” she asked touching his forehead and trying to control her voice from wavering.

“Medical super glue,” he replied as stripped off his bloody shirt.

He could see the tears welling up in her eyes. He reached out for her,

“Come here. I’m okay. I promise. Tackled the suspect and took an elbow to the forehead. You should see him, though.” Jethro said, trying to lighten the mood.

That same night, Jack had her first nightmare. A “bad” one as she called it. 

Now, she had one several times a week. Jack wouldn’t talk about the dreams in detail - just that he always died and she always watched, arriving too late to save him.

Jethro was worried and scared for her _and_ for their future. 

  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Do you like the idea of "daily life" with Gibbs and Jack? Need more NCIS-type action?


End file.
